Swift as a shadow
by monsieurdjinn
Summary: It's been more than twenty years since the climactic resolution of the Second Wizarding War, and times have changed. Evan Dyer is a Wizard trying to make his way. But life is never exactly smooth, particularly with a best friend like James Potter.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

A summer breeze was blowing. It was a rather pleasant and calm breeze as they go, polite, thoughtful, unlikely to make curtains billow in that particularly annoying manner hated by all those trying to read near windows. Indeed, as breezes went, it was something of a tame little thing. It blew across the Kentish coast from the Atlantic Ocean, breezing over the golden moonlit dunes and west across the wild hills, moors, woods and farms until it reached the small village of Aldington. It meandered through the streets of the town and on past a low range of wooded hills, passing an imposing gate before rambling up a marble drive leading to a rather lavish, even palatial, Manor House. As it rustled the leaves of a rather magnificent oak tree, a tall, dark headed boy appeared at the nearby window – just in time to wince at the sound of a resounding crash loud enough to stun a storm-driven gale, let alone a polite summer breeze.

With a sigh, the dark haired teenager shut the window and drew the blue velvet curtains. It was 9 o'clock on a balmy summer's night, like many others – dark, nightish, starlit etcetera – and Evander Dyer was shut up in his room, in a vain attempt to gain some peace and quiet. Indeed, Evander (Evan, to those who didn't want their faced hexed off) wasn't a particularly quiet boy. Indeed, it could be said by those with a politer disposition that he was on occasions an amusingly exuberant and boisterous individual, and by those with more biting tongues, that he was an obnoxiously loud and smart-mouthed git. He was quite willing to admit this, cheerfully even; however the general war being waged between his younger siblings Elijah and Eleanor was tiresome enough, as it strode quickly towards a _battle royale _of rather grandiose proportions, that even he had been forced to retreat to the veritable sanctuary of his bedroom.

As another almighty crash shook the house, he winced again, and dryly wondered if they would in fact leave any furniture intact for the paid-house elves to reparate following the fallout from his sibling's heated argument that had been started, as far as Evan could tell, over a missing sock. As he heard his mother finally begin chastising her screaming offspring, it occurred to him now, as it had often before, that they were rather lucky to not have neighbours within screaming distance, as they would inevitably call the muggle please-men or whatever they were called, out of concern for the well being of the Dyer household.

As the noise level downstairs began to increase with the entrance of his father and older brother into the general mêlée, Evan became acutely aware of just how glad he would be to get away from the mad-house he called home.

"Just one more night" Evan muttered to himself "one more bloody night".

Indeed, the following day would see Evan fleeing from his at-times psychotic pureblood family, into the welcoming arms of his best friend James' household. He thanked Merlin for the small miracle granted to him in the shape of the less vocally-demonstrative insanity of the Potter family, and the peace and quiet it would bring him for the rest of the summer holidays before the start of his Sixth Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He was honest enough with himself to admit, that even at sixteen, Evan was giddily excited to be seeing his best friends the following day. James Potter, Fiana Hayden and Cassie McAllister and himself had all been friends since meeting (as so many best friends do) on the Hogwarts Express on the first day of their first year. The friendship had been galvanised by the sorting of all four of them into Gryffindor House, to the point that even after a few short weeks, he missed them like a buttock lost in a duel.

Thinking of his friends, he absently wandered over to his bedside table to pick up the large wizarding photograph of the quartet, goofing off and waving at the camera in the common room. He smiled to himself as he watched James and Fiana pull faces at a rather harassed looking Cassie, much to photograph-Evan's amusement.

As he smiled down at the scene of general mirth and camaraderie, he once again thanked Saint Vivian of the Lake, that the Fates had contrived for him to meet his three best friends on that first day of Hogwarts. As he lay back on his bed, still looking at the photo, he thought back to that first day with his friends…

* * *

><p>The day had started the same as any other Evan had experienced in his short life – that is to say, with a loud <em>crack <em>and a burst of blinding light as Twinky (his mother's paid House Elf) apparated into his bedroom and perfunctorily opened the curtains to let in the day. In a state of almost feverish excitement, he'd dressed and then run down stairs to eat his breakfast with his parents and siblings.

"Morning Nico. Excited are you?" his father, Erasmus, had asked him over his paper, sparing an amused look at his son's excited quivering.

"Morning Dad!" he'd said cheerfully, buttering his toast "I nearly couldn't get to sleep!"

"My," his father had said, eyes twinkling "that certainly is quite a feat for someone as committed to his sleep as you are".

"Now, now Erasmus," his mother Sigrid said, smiling, as she walked into the dining room "Leave the mocking of the children 'til _after_ breakfast"

"Yes Dad," his older brother Eugene had put in wryly "You don't want ickle van van's getting so excited he'll wet himself"

"Why?" his mother replied, eyebrow raised "Do you want to remain the only Dyer in the last 600 years to maintain that particular privilege? Because really dear, there are so many other ridiculous traditions you could adhere to in its stead"

"MUM!" his brother had yelled in a strangled tone, whilst turning a delicious shade of red "I THOUGHT WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THAT!"

"Oh… my mistake dear" she'd said placidly.

Smiling into his toast, Evan had just _known_ this was going to be a good day.

* * *

><p>By the time the six Dyer's had arrived at Kings Cross Station in London, having first travelled by Floo to the family's Town House in Kensington, Evan had been almost beside himself. As they walked through the crowdedstation, towards the divider between platforms nine and ten, he suddenly became apprehensive as to whether or not the divider would let him through, and said so to his brother. Laughing, Eugene had grabbed his hand and together they'd past through the barrier and come out on platform nine and three quarters, in full view of the sparkling red steam engine.<p>

He turned to see his parents and younger siblings emerge at a more sedate pace, and suppressed a groan as he saw that his parents were deeply involved with several fellow Ministry high-ups. His dissatisfaction was replaced almost instantly when his brother nudged him and informed him that the black-haired man speaking animatedly with his father was none other than the legendary Harry Potter, whilst his mother was talking to equally famous former Harpies Quidditch Captain Ginevra Potter. As the group moved towards him, he noticed for the first time that accompanying them was a vaguely familiar boy pushing a trolley.

As the group reached him (his brother having fled at sight of the Man Who Defeated Voldemort) his mother smiled at him and said, "Evander! Do you remember James? I seem to remember the two of you hanging about together at a couple of Ministry galas."

"Uhhh… yes," he said, giving James an awkward smile "I think I do."

"Wonderful Jamie," Mrs Potter exclaimed "You will have someone to talk to; Teddy won't have to curse your eyebrows off!"

"Mum," James had pleaded "Please don't embarrass me in front of everyone!"

"C'mon James," Mr. Potter said grinning at Evan "This lad seems an alright sort, I work with his mother."

"Ah, thankyou sir" Evan said, feeling rather like a stupefied plimpy waiting to be gutted by an industrious House Elf.

"Indeed," his father smiled at them "well, why don't you boys go and find your compartment and stow your trunks?"

"Uh, sure dad, yeah," he said, suddenly shy "we'll go do that now shall we?"

Thankfully James appeared to feel the same way, as he nodded and replied with a crooked smile "Yeah, sure, let's go find a compartment."

As they boarded the train the two boys turned to each other and said at exactly the same time

"I'm really sorry about that."

They laughed nervously at each other and walked down the train together.

"So, your name is… Evander?" James queried "I'm pretty sure I do remember seeing you at a couple of those boring parties"

"Ha, just Evan, _please_ I don't need to be reminded of my parents ridiculous love for old fashioned names starting with the letter 'E'" Evan replied smiling

James laughed "message received and understood" before pointing to an empty carriage where they could stow their luggage "does that look okay to you?"

"Yeah, fine," said Evan gratefully "looks good."

They stowed their trunks and stood their looking awkwardly at each other

"So ah, you don't mind do you," James asked nervously "being stuck with me that is?"

"No! I'm just glad that I'll know someone," said Evan "maybe we can be, friends? If you'd like, that is"

"I think I would, yeah" James grinned at him "let's go see the rent's off".

* * *

><p>As the train moved out of London, James or "Jamie" and Evan became more and more animated and friendly in their conversation. Evan hoped it was a good sign, because he really rather liked the other boy, and found himself opening up very easily to him. They talked about their families, their homes, their likes and dislikes, and of course, Quidditch. They were just getting into a rather animated discussion of the last World Cup match between Australia and Canada, when the unmistakable sound of panicked hyperventilation reached them, a second before the door to their compartment flew open to reveal two girls – a tall honey-blond haired one hyperventilating over something and a shorter, pretty, white-blond who was comforting the panic stricken one.<p>

"E-Ex-c-cuse me," said the tall panic-stricken one "D-do you mind if we s-sit in here? Everywhere else if f-full!"

Taking into account the pure distress radiating from the panicked girl, as well as the shy, apologetic look the shorter blond girl was shooting at them, James and Evan looked at each other and replied in unison "Uh, Sure"

The two girls moved in with their trunks and stowed them in the luggage racks.

"Oh, I'm Fiana Hayden, by the way. And this is my friend Cassie McAllister" the blond girl, Fiana said.

James and Evan reacted in the only acceptable way for eleven year old boys to act when faced by two carriers of the dreaded girl-germs: they moved to one side of the carriage, fortifying themselves into a defensive position in case the girls decided to turn them to stone, or eat their livers or something.

As Fiana and Cassie sat down opposite them, Evan felt James nudge him and fighting down his apprehension, he smiled and said: "Umm, Hi. My name's Evander. Evander Nicodemus Dyer. Pleased to meet you"

Cassie stopped mid-calming breath and blinked at him in shock – rather like a Fwooper upon suddenly finding itself without a silencing charm.

"What, did you say your name was?" she asked, with a slight tone of incredulity.

Ahhh, Muggle-born, thought Evan.

"My name's Evander Nicodemus Dyer, Evan for short," he said to her, and seeing her continued look of mystification "it's a pureblood name… Evander after my dad's grandfather, Nicodemus after my mum's dad"

"Oh… sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," she said "I've just never heard anyone with a name as weird as mine before"

"Oh?" James asked "What's your full name then? I'm James Sirius Potter, by the way"

Fiana did a little double-take, and Evan smiled at her, she looked like she would be fun to hang out with.

"My name's Cassandra Evangeline Mafilicent Andrea McAllister" Cassie said "Cassie for short."

"You can call me Fi for short if you like" Fiana piped in

They sat there, nodding stupidly at each other for a moment or two before Evan piped up with a question: "So, Cassie, Fi? Are you from Wizarding families? Muggle families?"

"Errrr, I'm a half-blood," said Fiana "my dad's from an old Wizarding family, but my mum's a muggle-born"

Before either Jamie or Evan could respond, Cassie made a slightly frantic noise somewhere between a sob and a giggle and began to babble "I'm uh, a muggle born, I had no idea about magic until I got my letter! I'm so glad I went to school with Fi here though, we went to school over in Westminster you know, quite a nice place, have you been there? I was so proud of myself when I got in! But I guess I'm going to Hogwarts now, so I guess that's better. Or at least I think that's better, I can't be sure. Fi says its one of the best Magic Schools in the world, but I don't really know anything about the other schools or even if there are any so I can't be sure but yes, I'm a Muggle born. How about you two? Are you from wizard families? And how do you know each other? Did you go to school together?" she came to a stop rather unexpectedly, and Evan turned to blink at an equally mystified Jamie, before turning back to look at Cassie, taking note of the apologetic look Fiana was giving them.

_Merlin's Beard!_ Evan thought as he hazily tried to restructure the mass of nervous babbling that Cassie had just sprouted at him. Before he could however, Jamie waded in

"Um, I'm from a Wizarding Family," he said "Both my parents went to Hogwarts, and so did my Grandparents. Not that it matters really" he finished, giving them both a grin.

"I'm from an old Wizarding family too," Evan added "I have _no_ idea what my parents will do if I'm not placed in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw!"

"Heh, I don't think my parents really mind, to be honest" said James.

"Yeah, mine aren't too fussed either" Fi added placidly, as she reached into her trunk and got out a Muggle fantasy-novel.

"Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, what are those?" said Cassie with a rising note of hysteria in her voice (Evan was privately beginning to think that she was, like her namesake, rather prone to hysterics)

"They're Houses," Evan replied "two of the four school Houses at Hogwarts. The other two are Slytherin and Hufflepuff. All my family's been in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor for generations"

"Oh, okay," said Cassie, calming down "which house would you like to be in?"

James and Evan looked at each other and grinned "Gryffindor!" they both said.

* * *

><p>The rest of the journey had passed pleasantly. The three of them had taught Cassie to play exploding-snap, with a promise to teach her gobstones later, and by the time they'd changed into their school robes, crossed the lake with the eccentric Professor Finnegan, and been marched into a waiting room, the four of them had become fast friends.<p>

Professor Creevey, walked back into the room, and led them out into the Great Hall, where the first years stared awe struck at the bewitched ceiling, and the hundreds of students looking up at them. They formed a line, and after an eccentric song by the sorting hat, describing the nature and virtues of the four houses, the sorting began in earnest.

The first from their little quartet to be called was Fiana. She walked up to three legged stool and placed the hat on her head, and after a considerable amount of time, the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" to the waiting students, a decision applauded by the Gryffindors on the far right.

Next to be called was Cassie, who like Fiana, walked to the front and placed the hat on her head. Almost instantly the hat came to a decision, and much to Evan's relief shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" once again. He watched Cassie walk shakily down to join Fiana with the rest of the Gryffindors, as he waited for his name, until, finally;

"Dyer, Evander"

Evan walked to the front and sat down on the three legged stool, taking the sorting hat from the Professor. Once it was on his head, a small voice in his ear spoke to him:  
>"My, another Dyer eh?" the hat said "I know exactly where you should be! I'll put you in: GRYFFINDOR!" the last part being yelled to the entire hall.<p>

Sighing with relief, Evan walked down to the Gryffindor table to much applause and joined his two already-sorted friends, looking up and giving James a thumbs up. James smiled back rather sickly and seemed impatient as he waited for several more people until finally his name was called and he sat down and put the sorting hat on his head.

Surprisingly, at least from Evan's point of view, the hat took quite a while to decide where to place Jamie. Considering the reputation held by both the Potters and the Weasleys as all-Gryffindor families, it was some moments before the sorting hat finally yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" much to Evans excitement and relief. As James sat down next to him at the Gryffindor table he turned to Evan and said "That was kin-

* * *

><p>"OI! OI!"…<p>

The sensation of a pair of rolled up socks hitting the side of Evan's head jerked him, with a start from his reverie.

"Merlins saggy balls Nico! You were fucking gone then!" his brother, Elijah said to him

"Yeah, sorry about that," Evan replied "I was just reminiscing"

"Huh, well it took me three goes to get you to wake up Troll Brains," his brother replied moodily "mum says you should probably go to bed, since you'll be leaving early in the morning"

"Yeah," Evan said, suddenly realising just how sleepy he was "I might to do that. 'Night"

"Okay weirdo," his brother said "Night then"

Evan smiled brightly at his brother (confusing him) and shut the door. As he got undressed and climbed into his bed, he couldn't help but think that tomorrow was going to be a rather excellent day.


	2. Chapter 2

Evan was jolted awake at approximately 6:15am by the familiar _crack_ of Twinky the House Elf and the burst of stabbing, blinding light that the noise always heralded. It was fair to say that Evan did not, in actual fact, particularly like Twinky – especially when considered that whilst his brothers and he were woken rather brusquely, his parents and sister were woken by cups of tea, biscuits and an annoyingly simpering voice. In all honesty, this fact was probably at least partly derived from the time his brothers and himself had hidden from Twinky (causing her to panic beyond all normal definitions of the word) for 96 hours. However, Evan chose to ignore this, and focused simply on his quiet hatred of the insufferable creature.

As he got out of bed, and began getting dressed (all the time grumbling darkly about the idiotic nature of certain female house elves) Wonky, his fathers slightly demented and charmingly insane (and thus, in Evan's opinion; superior) House Elf appeared and began to happily repack Evan's school trunk with all the things Twinky had "forgotten" to pack, all the while chattering to Evan cheerfully about the conspiracy being orchestrated by the Dyer's second best silver-wear to murder the best silver-wear and assume the vacated spot of utensilic supremacy.

Evan nodded at Wonky, and then blanched, as he realised that if one of Wonky's conspiracy theories were making sense, then he either needed a stiff drink, or to eat breakfast. Thus, thanking the Elf, he took his leave and wandered downstairs.

As he reached the large, imposing dining room, he found his mother already there in her elegantly tailored business-robes.

"Morning sweetie," his mother said looking up from her copy of The Weekend Quibbler "Did you sleep well?"

"Morning Mum," he yawned at her "I slept pretty well actually, it was more the crack and blind that was a bit bollocksed"

His mother smiled placidly "I am so glad, that my children chose to ignore the annoyingly refined mannerisms of their grandparents for the 'bollocksed' speech of my London youth" she said, grinning at him

Evan smiled, and adopted a ridiculously pompous tone "It is not _our_ fault that our mother was an unmitigated floozy who lifted her robes to the first pretty boy that gave her a wink is it?"

His mother laughed, adopting a broad Londoner accent "Sit down and eat ya grapefruit, prog"

"Now, now Mrs. Dyer, Evan sweetie," said Skanky the kitchen-elf in her squeaky voice "let us not degenerate into accents, lest we wake the entire house and Twinky gets shut in the cupboard by Wonky for the rest of the day again on account of 'general bitchiness and mean spirited cooperation with the second-rate cutlery' hmm?"

"Yes Skanky" Evan and his mother said meekly.

The rest of the meal passed without incident – unless the bouncing crash, scream, fist-cuffing and slam of a cupboard door heralding Wonky's decision to throw Twinky down the stairs and lock her in the magic lined closet for 'General Tartiness, Rudeness and conspiracy to poison the water supply of West London with crab-apple scones' was taken into account. Or else the entrance of a very tussle-haired and smug looking Eugene, covered in love bites from his late night 'visit' to the Davies household.

"My," Evan quipped, quirking his eyebrow "Olympia certainly does appreciate those visits of yours"

"I feel it is my duty, brother-mine," Eugene smirked at him "to endow as much, _happiness_, as I possibly can"

"Oh, 'happiness' is it?" his mother asked "In my day we just called it shaggin-"

"MUM!" Evan and Eugene choked.

"My, so highly-strung" his mother said, smiling into her tea.

"So, uh anyway," Eugene said focusing resolutely on Evan and not Evan was sure, of the definitely unwanted mental-images in his head "aren't you off to the Potter's today?"

"Yeah, I am"

"Awww," his brother said, smiling at him "I'll miss you, little brother"

"Really?" Evan replied, grinning impishly.

"Yes actually. You're fun enough to have around I suppose"

"Oh well, thankyou Brother-mine. Really it's because you'll miss my ability to stop Edmund and Eleanor mid-fight by covering them in slime, or trapping them in a murder-hole, isn't it?"

Eugene groaned "Oh Merlin, Mordred and Nimueh! I hadn't thought of that! You sure you can't stay?"

"Seriously, Gene, if they get too much, just turn all of Nora's clothes into newts"

The identical grins of pure, malevolent, evil that the two boys shared were so strong that Skanky dropped the plate of crumpets she was carrying, screamed and ran to hide in the kitchen cupboard.

* * *

><p>By 9:30 the Dyer Household that was willing (Evan's parents and older brother) had awoken and been fed. The last of the items that Twinky had hidden were accounted for (Including all of Evan's school-robes, which had been craftily hidden behind the bust of Sebastian the Suitably Epic in the very back of the attic), Skanky had been coaxed out of the cupboard, Wonky was suitably distracted by teaching the paintings drinking songs, and Evan was ready to leave.<p>

Funky, the Butler-elf, walked forward and disapparated Evan's Trunk to the Potter House and then, to the sound of the Portraits singing Maggie May, threw some floo into the fireplace. Hugging his parents and brother goodbye, Evan stepped into the fireplace and said "Potter's Eyrie".

Evan was engulfed in the familiar green-tinged swirling of fireplaces, before landing in the familiar lounge room of the Potter House. He had just got up and was getting his bearing when he was suddenly bowled over with and a shout of "EVAN!" and a rib-crunching hug from his best friend James.

"I'VE MISSED YOUUUU!" James crooned at him, smooshing him into carpet

"Ugh James? Ribs? Please? I need them" Evan panted.

"Oh, yeah," James said grinning like a maniac "that too"

He got off Evan and grinned at him.

"God James," Drawled the unmistakable voice of James' younger sister Lily "you could at least wait 'til you've got him alone before you attempt to roger him"

"Lily!" Evan said, quickly before Wizarding War Three broke out "My you get bitchier every time I see you! Have you been working out?"

"Yes," she smirked, coming forward and giving him a quick hug "on James actually, it's working rather well for me"

"I'll say" Evan replied

"Gosh Dyer," said James dryly "I give you an awesome greeting and you just put me down"

"Oh, I'm sorry Potter" teased Evan, giving his friend a hug "You know I love you, really"

Lily was making retching noises as the rest of the Potters entered.

Mrs. Potter came forward and warmly gave him a hug.

"How are you, Evan?" she asked smiling at him.

"Good thanks, Mrs Potter"

"Ginny, please, I've told you before dear"

"Okay Ginny," he smiled at her "I forgot"

Mr. Potter came forward and grinned at him in much the same way that James was "Alright Ev?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, you?" Evan asked him.

"Fine, fine, just preparing to go and watch your mother make some opponents to Muggle-rights sob like little girls"

"Oh yeah, she told me about that this morning. She was getting into practice with Eugene and I, she sassed us so badly I think my face still needs some Weasley's All-Purpose Healing Balm."

"Excellent," Mr. Potter grinned maliciously "I can't wait to watch her wipe the floor with these idiots, excuse me."

As Mr. Potter left, Evan spotted Albus hanging back and gave him a disarming grin.

"Hey Al," he said genially "how are ya?"

The younger boy blushed and muttered something about turnips before fleeing the room.

Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to his friend.

"Soooooo," he drawled at James "Guess who got a new Thunderball for his birthday?"

James' face dropped in the most delicious manner possible, and Lily gave an envious sigh. Even Ginny gave him an impressed look.

"Right," she said decisively "back orchard, let's have a look at this broom of yours"

* * *

><p>Fiana and Cassie were late. They had meant to arrive around about 11 o'clock, all going well, and everything had been fine on Fiana's end. She had been ready(ish) and packed(ish) by 7 o'clock, and had taken the floo to Cassie's House in Essex. That had been where the trouble started.<p>

When Fiana had arrived at Cassie's, she hadn't been greeted by a packed and ready to leave Cassie, No indeed, she had been met by a Cassie that was more or less sat in front of the television, squeeing over an anime called "Kannazuki No Miko". When Fiana, had walked up to Cassie, hugged her and told her that they needed to get from Essex to Somerset in four hours, the flailing had started. The problem was that the usually prompt Cassie had a) gotten the time mixed up, and b) spent the night at her girlfriend Celeste's House. All in all, this had not boded particularly well for Fiana.

The flailing had, in all honesty, been some of the best Fiana had ever seen Cassie perform. This particular flail-attack transcended those that occurred the time that James and Evan had fed an unknowing and unsuspecting Cassie every-flavoured beans, the time Fiana had turned Cassie's hair blue, the time Lily had turned love letters from Celeste into bats, and the time on Halloween during second year when Evan, Fiana, James, Eugene and Teddy had trapped everyone in the school inside a Hogwarts-wide simulation of the Lord of the Rings. In all truthfulness, it was flailing of tremendously epic proportions, and it didn't even include Professor McGonagall shouting "FOR GONDOR" to the amassed Hogwarts horde.

However, as Cassie's father, Braxton, pulled up the drive to the Potter House at 12:30 in the afternoon, Fiana admitted to herself that things could have been _far _worse. She could have had parents named Braxton and Ursula-Theodosia, for example.

Thanking Cassie's parents, Fiana and Cassie walked up the drive, and were let into the house by Albus, James' brother, who grinned at them.

"Hullo you two," he said genially "You're a bit late. And Oh, covered in love bites I see Cas, well, at least _you_ had a good night then I have no doubt"

Cassie turned bright red and opened her mouth to say something. Fiana cut her off.

"Where is everyone, we're not _that_ late?"

"They're out back orgasming over Evander's new Thunderball" Albus replied.

"Really?" Fiana said excitedly "He got a Thunderball? Oh wow!"

They left their trunks in the lounge room and headed out to the orchard. As they rounded the corner, they came across James, Evan, Lily and Ginny playing a spirited game of two-a-side Quidditch. It was James and Lily versus Evan and Ginny. Predictably, Evan and Ginny were flattening their opposition. This was partly because Lily and James were snapping at each other, partly because Evan and Ginny were excellent players, and partly because James was too busy commentating to actually play the game properly. Fiana rolled her eyes.

"You," she shouted at James "are _so _goddamned conceited."

James fell off his broom. Everyone, including James found this hilarious. They decided to do lunch.

* * *

><p>The four Potters, Evan, Fiana and Cassie sat in the warm kitchen eating lunch and generally enjoying each other's company, well, apart from Lily and James. But then, you could never tell with those two, Evan thought, sometimes they just did it for the attention. Nevertheless he placed a bet on Lily winning in the notebook that Albus kept on his person at all times.<p>

"So, anything interesting happen in your holidays so far?" Fiana asked him.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Evan replied, as James, Cassie and the rest of the Potters looked up "my siblings had another epic fight last night. They knocked over my grandfather's statue of Demetrius the Delightfully Demented, shattered six of my mothers ugliest wedding-gift vases, and broke a window. I'm not sure if my parents were more angry or relieved to be honest".

"Oh?" Cassie asked "why's that?"

"Well, they only destroyed things that we don't like. I mean seriously… Demetrius the Delightfully Demented makes Uric the Oddball and Gwendolyn the Weird look like normal, functioning individuals. Oh, and that American couple tried to buy the Manor again"

"Again?" asked Mrs. Potter "Surely your father could just oblivate them, and you wouldn't have to be bothered by them again"

"I don't know," Evan replied "I honestly think he just finds them amusing, plus it annoys my Grandmother no end"

"How is Madame Dyer," Ginny asked "She hasn't thrown any parties lately, or anyone out any windows, come to think of it"

"Oh you know, still kicking. Still inviting the single daughters of her old biddy friends and trying to hook them up with my father."

Cassie frowned "Does she not realise that your father loves your mother very dearly and vice versa?" she asked.

"Apparently the fact that my mother is only a Chant isn't good enough. The Chants are German and Norwegian and have only been a certified pureblood family for 15 generations," Evan replied "apparently that isn't long enough for the old crone."

"But she's proud of you, isn't she?" asked Lily.

"Oh yes, immensely" he replied "but apparently that's because we favour the Dyer stock."

"Does she ever tell your mother this" asked Albus.

"Yes of course, she often finds herself turned into a goat and tethered in the backyard."

"Your mother turns your grandmother into a goat?" James asked, frowning "Hey wait… that pet goat we occasionally feed in your backyard, is that your G_randmother_?"

"Yep, that's her. And it's usually dad that turns her into a goat. They don't get on all that well."

"Your family," Fiana said, shaking her head "is mental! Ha! You aren't related to Demetrius the Delightfully Demented are you?" she finished with a laugh.

"Yes actually, how did you know?"

"I- Tha- It- _Seriously_? That was a _joke_!"

"A pretty accurate one actually. He's my 17 times great Uncle on my Grandmother's side."

"Bollocks!" James said, stunned.

"No thankyou Jamie, I've just eaten, maybe later though?"

Lily grinned at him "Oh Evan," she sighed "I have missed you".

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Evan stood in James' room with Cassie, watching Albus and Lily having a sword fight with fake wands in the yard below through the large window. He liked James' room, it was large, and bright and airy, and covered in Quidditch and band posters, Gryffindor paraphernalia, various art pieces and most importantly book cases. The large TV in the corner meant that he and James (and usually Fiana and Chloe) could watch Bluerays, TV shows, and play games on James' Play Station 5 or Xbox 1440. The spelled computer in the corner also meant that the boys could amuse themselves on the maginet, and play even more games. Truly, Evan mused, being a teenager in the twenty first century was awesome.<p>

Evan turned as he heard James enter the room. James had that particularly worrisome look of seriousness on his face, that meant that he wanted to discuss something with Evan, and no amount of distractions in the form of pretty girls, interesting books, or concussion charms from Fiana's wand could distract him.

"So" James said.

"So?" Evan replied.

James nodded "_So._"

Cassie looked from James to Evan and back again, threw her arms up in the air and stomped out of the room, muttering irritably about the monosyllabic stupidity inherent to all males.

James turned back from watching her leave and gave Evan his famous crooked smile.

"Now that she's gone," he said "I've been meaning to ask you something about the whole… you know, thing?"

"The thing," Evan replied, perplexed "which particular "thing" Jamie?"

"You know," James said, calmly "the whole 'gay' thing"

"Oh," Evan said "That thing."

"Yeah" James said.

"Well?" Evan asked.

"I was wondering…" James hesitated a moment, before one of Evander's continue-quickly-or-I-will-strangle-you-with-a-satanic-sock-puppet-from-the-ninth-layer-of-hell looks made him continue "I was wondering if you ever, you know, fancied me?"

Evan began to laugh. He laughed so hard he had to sit down, and upon seeing James slightly hurt expression, he laughed even harder.

"Well!" James said, turning to leave "You could have let me down a lot nice-"

"Oh shut up Jamie," Evan said, still amused "But to be fair, that was a ridiculous question!"  
>James looked perplexed. "It… was?" he asked<p>

"James, you are literally like a brother to me" Evan said "In fact, you're basically a third brother to me, except, you know, one that I'm not related to, and who I got to choose, and who, y'know, doesn't have a ridiculous bollocks for breakfast name beginning with the letter 'e'!"

"Oh," James said, smiling "well, yay!" he crowed, before pouncing on Evan and tickling him

As Evan laughed and flailed about, Fiana walked in, and gave them both an amused look before sitting down with the mysteriously ever-present muggle fantasy novel that seemed to be, at all times, upon her person, and which, in one of James' and Evan's more ridiculous theories, in fact came from Fi's secret horde of fantasy novels, kept in another dimension consisting entirely of one huge library.

As Fi opened the meticulously kept book, she looked at James and said "You, are incredibly conceited"

However as Evan lay on bed being nuzzled by the affectionate friend, he couldn't help but disagree with Fiana on this point. Only sheer nervousness and quick thinking had saved Evan from declaring to his best friend that he did, indeed fancy him. And had done so for several years.

* * *

><p>That evening the four young wizards were lazing on James' bed and half-heartedly watching a repeat of a ridiculous sex-filled dramady called "Hex and the City" on Wizarding television, while they waited for "The Homoerotic Adventures of Merlin" to come on. Not for the first time, Evan idly wondered at James's innate ability to happily deal with the fact that he would be watching a programme in which Merlin and Arthur snogged and shagged, and Guinevere and Morgana likewise. Before he could ask James about this however, Cassie piped up with the same tired idea.<p>

"You knoooow," she said "I have this anime that I think you'd all like to wa-"

"No." James said, resolutely.

"Awww but it's a really good one! The Sword Princess falls in love with the Hand-maiden of the God of Flowe-"

"No." James said again.

"But Celeste _really_ likes it!" Cassie said, in a wheedling tone.

"Oh, well, in that case," James said, looking at her "No."

"But-"

"No."

"You-"

"No."

"Why-"

"No."

Sharing _significant _eye-contact with Fiana, Evan idly wondered just how often the two friends could repeat basically the same conversation, with the same end results. Evan, whilst not overly interested in it, personally didn't particularly mind anime and indeed liked several series that Fi and Cassie had shown him, and Fi liked anime quite a lot too. The problem was that whilst Cassie _loved_ anime, James despised it. As the quartet had grown older, Cassie had become increasingly in love with Japanese animation, a love that had been galvanised when she had fallen in love (or married, as James, Evan and Fi liked to think of it) with an older Slytherin girl named Celeste Aurcher who also loved anime.

To begin with, James had simply been uninterested and apathetic, but then Cassie had tried to convert him. In a now famous conversation in their fourth year Cassie had thought that she would be able to convince James to love anime as much as she did, if she had just sat him down and explained it to him, so she had sat down with them and tried. Evan remembered the scene quite vividly. James (who was covered in blotches from a hex his mother had sent him by mail earlier that week) had been sitting in the common room with Evan, attempting to complete a particularly difficult and nastily involved piece of revision homework for their Arithmancy class. Cassie had marched across the common room and sat down with them, and began to try and convince James that he would love it, if only he would give it a try. James was not amused, and Cassie hadn't been willing to take no for an answer. In one of the most epic shouting matches that had ever occurred in the Gryffindor common room since Fred, George and Percy Weasley had lived in the tower; James had turned Cassie into an animated version of herself and trapped her inside her own mobile phone, bewitched to dance constantly. It had taken Fiana and Evan nearly 24 hours and a decade off of their lives to work out just _how_ James had managed to accomplish this feat, and then remove Cassie from the phone and un-transfigure her back to her original state. It had then taken the combined diplomatic abilities of Evan, Fiana, Lily, Albus, Hugo and Rose Weasley, Harry and Ginny Potter and Ronald and Hermione Weasley to convince Celeste that killing James would probably _not _be a good idea. And indeed, would have led to her incarceration in Azkaban. This said Ginny had walloped James so hard with her broomstick that he hadn't been able to sit down for a week.

It had been around this time that he had also begun to have serious feelings for James. Evan remembered the exact moment when, following Ginny's spirited punishment, he had helped James get to bed – helping him undress down to his boxers. James had obviously thought nothing of it, however it had taken all of Evan's demented breeding to maintain control and not blush. Unfortunately _the time of the undressing _– as he called it – hadn't been an isolated experience. As they'd grown older, James had on many an occasion been painfully naked. In the changing rooms after a game, in the bathroom, and even once or twice, in a particularly boring History of Magic class. To make matters worse, the previous school year had seen the beginning of James (and admittedly Evan and Fiana's) interest in alcohol. Unfortunately for Evan, whilst he and Fi had the constitutions of Hippogriffs, James was a light-weight… and many and uncomfortable night had been spent with James happily clinging to him in a boneless manner due to the boy's deep seated inability to get to his own bed.

Evan was nudged from his reverie by Fiana, who motioned that the show was about to begin. Shaking himself, Evan brought himself back to present as the Homoerotic Adventures of Merlin started. He shared an excited look with Fiana before they moved forward to the front of the bed to gaze, enraptured, at Merlin and Arthur. He spared a second of oogling to look back at Cassie, who was on her laptop, and James, who was reading a book. Shaking his head slightly, he decided that although they were sometimes irrational, silly, and panic-stricken, he did in fact love his friends.


End file.
